Acratech, Inc: Steve Kossacks Notes From the Field

Notes From the Field

Steve Kossack is an accomplished photographer, writer and workshop instructor. I first met Steve after he purchased one of our Ultimate Ballheads and wrote an article about it for the Luminous Landscape website. We have since become friends.

Although Steve is no longer affiliated with Luminous Landscape, his workshops continue to be popular. I am excited to be able to provide Acratech web site viewers the opportunity to read Steve’s new monthly column Notes From the Field.

Spring!

For most things living, this time of year is a time of growth, renewal and birth. As our planet warms and heads for summer, the transformation can be stunning and awe inspiring. It's the time of year when most of us have the sudden need to f-8 and be there. Being a witness to such a burst of life and color heightens the creative process and forces one to be intimate with the landscape. You tend to see smaller and closer, of course this is one of the basics, only it seems to be so much more prevalent here.

What do we need for capturing the essence of spring? Now is a good time to review the technique as well as the motivation. Let's start with the place. It would seem a simple task to go out there and look for color, right? Well not so fast! Like all landscape photography, knowing your setting, what you want to say with it, and then the technique to say it, is how I approach most all my photography.

The place:

I find that a well know place that I am familiar with is a lot easier to work. I already know the terrain. Where the light will be and when and how to get there. It is also very important that I have witnessed a place at various times to know what is likely and when. To know what an area has to offer and when makes it special. In the image above, made at Pichaco State Park outside of Tucson Arizona, the giant saguaro stand like sentinels in a stark dry and usually colorless landscape. On a history note, this is the only sight in which a Civil War battle was fought in Arizona. it's peak can be seen for miles and many pass it each day on thier journey between Phoenix and Tucson never thinking to explore. In spring, and this is the best rainfall and spring color season in the last ten in Arizona, these beautiful statues of the desert are surrounded by a blanket of growth and color. The transformation of the desert floor is amazing!

The motivation:

"The what to say" part. To witness and capture this familiar setting in a way as to show this sudden and quickly passing of season. Please notice the absence of the word color! yes, it's for a reason! Color would be the reason for the image you would think, and perhaps that is exactly what it will convey, but I find if you are attracted to only one aspect of the image, you can be in danger of overlooking the bigger picture. That being the circumstances that make conditions right for what you are trying to say in the first place. In the top photograph, it's just a hint of color in the background that brings you the thought of spring. In the second, it's the reverse. Both have the same elements but the approach is very different. However, they make the same statement. Notice that both images highlight the fact that the normally baron, sparsely covered desert floor is a lush and vibrant green. Yes, this is a color, and a sign of spring also. It is what makes the wildflowers possible, and in turn all life. I think it's important to show it! In a couple of weeks it will all be gone and this desolate and harsh landscape will return to the fight for survival. I'll be back to witness this also!

The technique:

This usually is the "how to say it" part. What I consider to be most important in most landscape photography is dept of field. What will be in focus from near to far and what will not. One is as important as the other and the decision will determine the charter of the image. Aperture is the key along with focus setting. The next is shutter. This determines what will show motion and what will not. If you have something in your composition that moves, you will need to decide how you want this shown. In most cases a fast shutter speed and a small aperture were used to stop the wildflowers and give great dept of field at the same time. This, however, creates the need for a faster ISO. An ISO of between 100 and 400 was used most of the day as conditions warranted. The exception being the saguaro spine image. Here a Canon 24 Tilt/Shift lens was employed to obtain a fast shutter speed with a wide aperture, also to straighten the lines of the mountain range that seemed to "fall away" due to the angle. Many filters were used during the day in different situations.

All of the compositions have the same theme. The charge of spring, the stark difference between this moment in time and the preceding and following seasons. The pure joy to f-8 and be there!

Not forgetting the essence of the desert, the ability to do what I like best and the subtleties of the fringes of the day, sunset is special any day, anywhere! A day in the Sonoran desert, especially in spring is something indeed!

Acratech products are ideal for nature photographers, landscape photography, outdoor photography, and anywhere light weight tripods and heads are used.

Notes From the Field

Spring!

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